Travel Amenities

Affordability is the goal of mass production, and in the early 1900s, Henry Ford's auto assembly line brought the Model T within reach of more Americans than any other auto manufacturer. His concept revolutionized the auto industry, and by 1920, there were an estimated eight million passenger cars on America's roads. This novel form of travel created a myriad of new businesses to serve the auto consumer. New roads, better roads and service stations were built. Roadside diners across the country catered to the traveler, and small towns could capitalize on having a few more visitors driving down Main Street. Car wash services were introduced and initially operated much like Ford's assembly line: a conveyor belt pulled the car along while stationed workers performed their specific duty in getting the car clean. Labor-intensive, these early facilities were costly to run. By the late 1930s, the first fully automated car wash was in operation. Much like todays automatic car wash, it featured vertical rollers to wash the sides, and one large horizontal roller to take care of the top. This 1940 service station may not sell coffee and snacks, but it does offer tires, auto accessories, radios and appliances in addition to gasoline and a car wash.